Ice-harvesting apparatus.



, E. 0. PORTER.

I ICE HARVESTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 1912.

Patented May 4, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET a Re E. C. PORTER.

ICE HARVESTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION men MAR. 1. 1912.

Patented May 4, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IA III ll H II I 1A 1 l I lg W w /Wa i 1 It D WW 5 u UWW 0%, N M 1 v M EMMONS G. PORTER, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ICE-HARVESTING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 1, 1912.

State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Ice-HarvestingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In harvesting ice, it has been customary to groove the ice fields withice plows, or similar appliances, then to cut the fields into largesections, or floats, which are floated through a channel to theice-house, and are split, by a hand chisel, into small cakes, justbefore they are delivered to the conveying chain.

The method of grooving now generally employed is slow and somewhatexpensive, and it frequently happens, from various causes, that thegrooves become filled with water, which freezes, so that it isimpossible to split the sections into regular cakes. This isparticularly liable to occur when the sections are floated aconsiderable distance in very cold weather, as the water is likely toflow into the grooves and then freeze before the section is split.

Various forms of apparatus have been devised for grooving ice fieldswhich comprise a vehicle having circular saws mounted thereon, but ifpractical devices of this sort were produced, they would not overcomethe difficulty above noted where it is necessary to float the sectionslong distances.

The object of my invention is to produce a practical means for groovingthe ice sections by power-mechanism just before they are to be splitinto cakes, so that grooving in the fields, is, to a large extent, madeunnecessary, and the danger that the sides of the grooves, after theyhave been formed, may become frozen together, is wholly avoided. Iaccomplish this object by providing a structure over the channel throughwhich the ice-sections are conducted to the icehouse, which comprises agang of circular saws driven by any suitable motor, so arranged that, asthe sections are floated along in the channel, they will be grooved sothat they may be readily split into cakes.

F or an understanding of my invention reference is made to theaccompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus made according to my invention.Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view, and Fig. 4 isa detail view showing the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1915.

Serial No. 680,827.

action of one of the circular saws. Fig. 5 is a detail View of theedge-gage and its adusting means.

In the drawing a indicates a structure which is suitably supported atopposite sides of a channel 6, formed in the ice 0, said channel leadingfrom the ice field to the icehouse in the usual manner, the structurebemg so formed that the ice-sections may be floated there-beneath, asthey are drawn along in the channel. A frame d is mounted on the frontend of the structure a, and is supported thereon by a pair of verticallyarranged screws 6, by means of which it may be ad usted vertically,suitable hand-wheels f belng threaded on said screws, which aresupported directly on the structure. A shaft 9 is mounted horizontallyin the frame d, and extends at right angles to the channel, and a gangof parallel circular saws h, equally spaced apart and preferably three1n number, are arranged on said shaft 9, a motor 71 being provided todrive the same.

A frame cl, similar to frame d, is mounted on therear end of thestructure, said frame also being vertically adjustable by means ofscrews 6, and having a horizontal shaft 9 mounted thereon and drivenfrom said motor, said shaft being provided with a gang of circular sawsit arranged in exact alinement with the circular saws h at the front endof the structure. Both frames are adjusted so that the saws dip into thewater to a suitable depth, as hereafter described.

An edge-guide is mounted on a structure, at one side of the channel, andextends from a point at some distance in front of the saw gang h to apoint some distance beyond the rear gang [2,, said guide preferablycomprising an angle-iron m which is mounted on a support a, said supportbeing vertically adjustable on the structure by suitable means, such asthe slot and bolt connection shown in Fig. 5. One edge of the angle-ironm is arranged parallel to the planes of the circular saws h. and it, andat the same distance from the next adjacent saws, as the distance whichthe saws are spaced apart. Said angleiron m is so adjusted that it isheld a short distance below the water level,

in such a position that, when a cake of ice is floated against it, theedge of the iron will engage the smooth, previously grooved portion ofthe edge thereof above the points where it is split, the smooth portionusually extending to a depth of six or eight inches. That is, if a sawhaving a hook-shaped tooth, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4c, is employed,which form is the only one which it is practical to employ, so far as Iam aware, the saws will be so arranged on the shaft that the teeth intheir lower portions will hook, or point in the direction in which theice is to be moved in passing through the channel from the ice field tothe ice house, and so that, when the saws are rotated forward, or in thedirection in which the teeth point, to saw or groove the ice as itpasses beneath the shaft, they will be moving downward, and rearward insaid direction of movement, while they are cutting. The circular saws h,it are so arranged that they must be driven in such a direction thattheir lower portions move in the direction in which the ice is floatedas it passes through the channel, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In practice a section, or float, is cut from the field, which haspreviously been grooved to an extent suflicient to enable said sectionto be separated from the field, and the section thus separated isfloated along the channel to the structure, preferably with hand poles,in the usual manner. Before the section is floated into engagement withthe circular saws, one edge of the section is pressed against theedge-guide m, and is held thereagainst while it is floated intoengagementwith the saws. The saws h are adjusted to dip into the water adistance corresponding to the depth to which the ice is to be grooved,so that when the section is floated therebeneath, the saws will cutgrooves to a corresponding depth, in the upper sides thereof. That is,as ice, when floating, is about seven-eighths submerged, the depth ofthe groove which is cut will actually be slightly greater than theextent to which the lower portion of the saws dip in the water, theextent of this variation depending on the thickness of the ice, whichmay be offset by the slight extent which the ice may be additionallysubmerged from the downward cutting action of the saws. As the saws areregularly spaced from the edge-guide m, the grooves which will be cutwill not only be parallel, but will be equally spaced with relation tothe edges of the ice float or section, as well as with relation to eachother. \Vith the construction shown in the drawing, three parallelgrooves will be cut in the ice section, so as to prepare it forseparation into four longitudinal sections.

By so arranging the saws that they are and must be rotated so that theirlower portions move in the direction in which the ice sections are to befloated, various important advantages are secured. 'When the saws arerotated freely in the water, while they are not in engagement with anice section, they will act like paddle wheels, and throw and draw thewater in the direction in which their lower portions are moving. Thiswill create a current in the water in the direction in which thesections are being floated, so that, as soon as a section is floated inproximity to the saws, the propulsion thereof will be assisted by thecurrent thus created, which, obviously, is most effective just beforethe section comes into actual engage ment with the saws. As soon as thesaws engage the ice section, they will exert a pulling action thereon,caused by the horizontal component of the cutting force, as they removethe chips, thereby having a combined feeding and cutting action, so thatthey act to draw the sections along as fast as they cut the groovestherein. The entire feeding of the ice thus takes place automatically,without the employment of independent feeding mechanism.

Other advantages of importance are also secured by rotating the saws inthe particular direction specified, especially as distinguished fromresults which might be secured if the saws were rotated in the oppositedirection;with which arrangement, the saws would create a current whichwould tend to retard the movement of the ice sections, and wouldnecessitate the positive forcing of the sections against the action ofthe saws. Among the more important of these advantages is that arisingfrom the fact that the ice chips are piled up in the rear of the saws inthe grooves, as shown in Fig. 4, preventing the water from flowing intothe grooves, against the saws, so that they would act to throw up waterwhile cutting, and also preventing the water from interfering with thecutting action by being drawn into the space between the bottom of thegroove and the edge of the saw, as would be the case, if the saws wererotated oppositely, and thereby causing the water to become trappedtherebetween, so that it would materially obstruct the saw teeth fromentering the ice.

It is also of advantage to perform the grooving operation on the iceblocks while floating, as distingushed from doing this while supportedon a platform, runway, or other rigid means, for the reason that, inaddition to providing a yielding means, or support for holding the icein engagement with the saws, the danger of breaking off portions of theblock is avoided. That is, while the danger of breakage in handlingnewly formed ice is small, on account of its toughness it is frequentlynecessary to harvest ice which has become honeycombed, and thereforebreaks, or chips off very easily, but, so long as it is operated onwhile supported by water, the danger of breakage is small, although, ifit were lifted onto a rigid support before it was operated on, thedanger of breakage would be great. To lift it onto a'support to begrooved and then to i return it to the water to be split with theordinary ice chisel, which would be practically essential to avoidbreakage, would obviously be more wasteful of power than the othermethod. As the ice-is floating freely as it is being grooved, the waterprovides a yielding support therefor, so that the saws will not cutchips that are any heavier than what they can remove to the bestadvantage, and the ice yields when there is a tendency to out too heavya chip. That is the support which is provided for the ice is universallyyielding and, therefore, automatically holds the ice against the sawwith the force which enables the saw to operate to the best ad vantage.

After the floating section of ice has passed beneath the first set ofsaws, and the longitudinal grooves have been cut therein, it is turnedquarter way around in the channel, a V-shaped recess 0 being provided inone side of the channel between the gangs of saws, and, what waspreviously the rear end of the section is pressed against the edgeguidem, and the section is then floated beneath the second gang of saws whileheld thereagainst, and grooves are cut across the section in a mannersimilar to that already described, so that it is thus grooved in equalsquares, and may be readily split into square cakes with the ordinaryice chisel.

In order that the ice may be handled with facility, the section is splitinto cakes close to the point where the cakes are delivered to theconveying chain, and, as the grooving apparatus should be locatedclosely adjacent this point, there is no opportunity for the grooves tobecome filled with ice between the time they are formed and the timewhen they are split.

l/Vhen the above apparatus is employed grooving of the ice field isunnecessary, except to an extent suflicient to cut out the lee sections,or floats therefrom, and the final grooving is performed without loss oftime in the handling of the ice.

While the saws might be so adjustedas to cut the ice completely through,to do this would be objectionable, for if a portion of the edges of theice cakes was not uneven the cakes would pack together so closely in theice-house that they would freeze together, making removal in cakesalmost impossible.

It will be observed that by grooving the ice by circular saws while itis floating and by rotating the saws in the direction in which the iceis moved, I have devised a new principle of operation, for the ice isfed by the saws themselves only so fast as they can groove it, anytendency to take too large a chip being overcome by the yielding orincreased submergence of the ice, While it is free to be drawn intoengagement with the saws as fast as they can cut it.

I claim s 1. In an apparatus for grooving ice, the combination with abody of water in which the ice is floated and which provides a yield ingsupport therefor, a circular saw sup ported with its lower portionbeneath the surface of the body of water, and means to rotate the saw,as the ice is floated therebeneath, to groove its upper surface.

2. In an apparatus for grooving ice, the combination with a body ofwater in which the ice is floated and which provides a yielding supporttherefor, a gang of suitably spaced circular saws supported with theirlower portions dipping beneath the surface of the body of water, and anedge guard correspondingly spaced from said saws and arranged adjacentsaid surface to guide the ice as it is floated beneath the saws.

3. In an apparatus for grooving ice, the combination with a body ofwater in which the ice is floated and which provides a yielding supporttherefor, a circular saw supported with its lower portion below thelevel of said body of water, means to guide the ice as it is floatedbeneath the saw in a predetermined direction and means to drive the sawso that its lower edge moves in the same direction.

4:. In' an apparatus for grooving ice, a yielding support for the ice,comprising a body of water in which the ice is floated in apredetermined direction, a circular saw arranged to permit the ice to befloated therebeneath, and means to rotate said' saw so that its loweredge moves in the direction in which the ice is floated.

5. In an apparatus for grooving ice, the

a saw of the other gang, and the space between said gangs beingsufficient to permit the ice-sections to be turned through a right angletherebetween, and an edge-guide for the floating sections mounted at oneside of the channel in parallelism with the planes of rotation of thesaws and at a distance from the adjacent end saw equal to the spacebetween the saws, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for grooving ice, the combination with a structuresupported at the side of a channel in which ice-sections are floated, ofa pair of gangs of circular saws mounted to rotate about parallel axes,the saws of each gang being equally spaced apart and each saw of onegang being arranged to rotate in the plane of rotation of a saw of theother gang, and the space between said gangs being suflicient to permitthe ice-sections to be turned through a right angle therebetween, andmeans to guide said sections as they "pass beneath each saw gang,substantially as described.

7-. In an apparatus for grooving ice, the combination with a body ofwater in which the ice is floated and which provides a yielding supporttherefor, a structure mounted adjacent said body of water, a horizontalshaft mounted on said structure, a pair of circular saws mounted on saidshaft, means for driving said shaft, means permitting vertical adustmentof said shaft to hold said saws so that their lower portions may dipinto the water to varying depths, and an -edge-guide supported inparallelism with said saws below the water level and-at ad istance fromonesaw equal to the space therebetween.

8. In an apparatus for grooving ice, a supporting frame :adapted to hefixedly supported adjacent abody of water, a rotary cutter supportedfrom said frame, said cutter being positioned so that the lower portionthereof will be positioned beneath the water adjacent the supportingframe, and means to rotate :said cutter whereby :as a body of ice isfloated therebeneath on the water its upper surface will be grooved.

9. In an apparatus for harvesting ice, a rotary cutter mounted above thesurface of a body of Water with its lower portion dipping therein, inposition to engage .a block of ice, supported in :the water, to out agroove in the upper surface of the block 'as it is passed therebeneath.

10. In :an apparatus for harvesting ice, a cutting device arranged toengage a block of ice, while supported in a body of water, and operatingvertically and horizontally to cut a groove in said block, and :toimpart move ment thereto, in the direction in which the groove is cut,through the action of the horizontal components of its cutting force.

11. In an apparatus for harvesting ice, a stationarily supported cuttingdevice having teeth arranged operatively to engage a block of ice, whilesupported in a :body of water, and means to operate :said device to movethe block of ice .and said teeth while operating thereon in the samehorizontal direction.

12. In an apparatus for harvesting ice, a

. cutting device to move its teeth in a downward and rearward direction,to cut the ice and simultaneously propel it in said rearward direction.

13. In'an apparatus for harvesting :ice, an actuating and groovingdevice arranged to operate on a block of ice, while floating in a bodyof water, to effect horizontal movement of the block and to cut a groovein its upper side longitudinally of the direction of its movement.

.14 In an apparatus for harvesting ice, a rotary :cutter arranged toengage ablock of floating ice, and means to rotate said cutter to impartmovement to the ice in a predetermined direction and .to cut a groovetherein in line with the direction of said movement.

15. In :an apparatus for harvesting ice, a horizontally disposed shaftstationarily journaled adjacent and above the surface of a body ofwater, in which a block of ice is floated, a:cireular saw mounted onsaid shaft in position to engage the upper side of the block, and meansto rotate said shaft in a direction to :carry the saw teeth downwardinto operative engagement with the block, to :cut :a groove in its upperside, and, as the teeth move rearward, to draw the block through thewater in the same direction.

In an apparatus for harvesting ice, a toothed :cutter mounted to rotateabout a horizontal axis disposed adjacent and above the surface of abody of water, means to guide a :blockof ice through the water in ahorizontal direction, beneath said axis, and at right angles thereto,said cutter depending into the path of movement of the block,

and means to rotate :said cutter to move its teeth downwardly andbeneath its axis in the direction of movement of the block, while inengagement therewith, to cut a groove therein and to impart movementthereto in said direction by the force of the cutting action.

17. In an apparatus for grooving blocks of .ice, a pair of gangs ofcircular saws supported over a body of water, so that the lower portionsthereof dip into the water, the saws of each gang being axially arranged;and correspondingly spaced apart, and the space :between each gangbeing sufficient to permit the block to pass out of engagement with onegang before it is engaged by the other and to be engaged by the secondgang in a position at right angles to that in which it was engaged bythe first gang, successively to out two series of par allel grooves inthe block at right angles to each other.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EMMONS G. PORTER.

Witnesses:

L. H. HARRIMAN, H. B. DAVIS.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained fior five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

-Washing/con, 20.0.

